Fiberglass eraser

farmer ron

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I do enjoy scratchbuilding and altering buildings, I read as many articles that I can that come out in the railroad magazines. I have read, kept, and keep refering to, several articles that mention using a "fiberglass eraser". Micro mark sells one and I am thinking of getting one, as the results that are posted look impressive. Does anyone have one and use it ??
How are the results and is it worth it ???? Ron.
 

alkcnw

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?

Farmer Ron, without me sounding to stupid, what is a fiberglass eraser??????? I looked in my micro mark catalog and didn't see it. please explain.I have read a lot of articles myself and never before heard mention of this!!!:eek:
 

60103

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I have one.
It has a body like one of those large erasers that you can buy, but the business end is a bundle of very fine fiberglass strands -- all parallel. You can twist the body to extend or retract the fibres.

I use it for cleanup work like preparing a surface for soldering. If you keep the strands up close to the body, it's very hard for scrubbing, while extending it more makes it softer.

It has a drawback-- very fine bits of fiberglass get all over your work area.

I think you can also use it for touching up drawings.

Your local drafting supply or stationery store might carry it.
 

farmer ron

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Alkcnw: the eraser is called fiberglass bristle, part #14259, I believe I found it under brushes on their web site.
It is as 60103 says, it is a small brush with fiberglass bristles that can be adjusted, in the articles that I have read the contibutor stated that he spray painted one color on his project, both buildings and cars, after the first coat dried he spray painted a second coat, lets the second coat dry for a short period, enough to just set, then he distresses, with downward strokes, the project. The fiberglass eraser scratches away, with out smudging, small amounts of the second coat and lets the first coat bleed through. The person who wrote the articles goes on to say that he then adds subsequent colors and repeats the process, haveing a finished product that looks very weathered with the previous colors bleeding through. He shows photos of the work and looks very good. A very effective way of giving a weathered effect, especially on what you want to appear as old wood, be it a building or car. This method was done on styrene and very effective.
There is also a brush called the "distresser" micro mark part 82467 that ages old wooden buildings, I rarely use wood anymore, mostly styrene, but for the price may get one and try it anyway.
I have looked and called many large startionary stores and drafting places here in western Canada but for the most part no one has heard of these products, those that have state that they use to sell them long time ago but after checking supplier catalogues, are unable to locate them for me. Ron..
 

alkcnw

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Farmer Ron, Thanks for the reply. I have one of the disstresser brushes, I use it for weathering buildings and rolling stock like has been suggested.I never heard of the fiberglass model, they sound basicly the same brush with different material on the ends!:eek:
 

Vic

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You might can still find one at an office supply store....back in the days of typewriters and before White Out that's what they used to make erasures on print made by a cloth typewriter ribbon.

A friend of mine has some of the Micro-Mark jobbers and they are neat!!!!:D
 

alkcnw

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distresser

Hey Ron, The distresser brush works fine on both wood and styrene, depending on type of paint and thickness of paint. All it takes is a very light stroke to get the right look or harder if you want to scribe into the material. I also use it to shine up my track ends before soldering!!!!!:eek: